300: Rise of an Empire [2 Discs] [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2014]

I was expecting More. Most sequels are never as great as the original movie, as is the case with this. I was happy to see they kept with the same cinematography as the original 300, and I appreciated most of the sound track. But the Plot was thin, predictable and just not that engrossing. I would recommend it for a rental. Buy not a need to own.

Watched it in 3D and really enjoyed it. Good sequel to 300. I would recommend this to anyone who liked Gladiator.

Not better than the first one, but worth a watch. Pretty good movie.

good movie to watch... .......... .

I went into the theaters with so much excitement for this movie as I'm a huge fan of the first 300 movie. However by the end of Rise of an Empire, I was a little disappointed and felt it didn't live up to the first movie. Rise of an Empire does a great job in tying events from the past and bringing them into the present for the Athenian warriors, taking place before and after the battle of Thermopylae. I felt that these connections made a strong story for the film and it's characters, especially Xerxes. My only one gripe with the movie was with the fight scenes. I felt like the slow motion was better utilized in the first movie and that it was added in the wrong time of each fight sequence in Rise of an Empire. Anyone who was a fan of the first should still see this movie, as it's a good movie, though not as great as the first.

As sequels go, Rise of an Empire does a better job than most. It's not an Aliens-level sequel, but it's definitely a worthwhile watch. If you can separate yourself from the original 300, it's even better, as the crew made an obvious attempt to keep what worked about it, but then distance themselves the rest of the way. The cinematography is great, the 3D does a wonderful job with depth of field, and the CG is, for the most part, every bit what you would expect from a 300 sequel. The film also manages to explain a couple of the plot holes left over from the first film, such as the God King's backstory. That said, it definitely has a few moments that made me go "really?" All in all, though, it was a thoroughly pleasant experience and will certainly get multiple viewings from me.

This movie takes place concurrently where the 300 are defending at Thermopylae in the first movie and after their defeat. If you disliked the first movie because of the bloodiness or lack of historical accuracy then let me save you the trouble and stop here as this movie will be similar, otherwise proceed on. I like the antagonist role of Artemisia and Eva Greene plays it very well. The movie provides a brief good back story on how her character came to be where she commands on the Persian side. The movie also provides some back story on how the Persian king came to power which is nice. On the Greek side is Sullivan Stapleton who plays Themistocles and he too does an outstanding job in his role. This movie covers the naval engagement side that was occurring during and after the fall of Thermopylae. Both sides employ strategy in their efforts to outdo the other on the battlefield, which is another aspect of the movie I like. The naval battles fill the waters with galleys ramming one another, ships sinking, and boarding parties dealing out bloody dismemberings with their swords and axes. The only thing this movie lacked was an epic quote like that from Leonidas in 300 "This is Sparta!".

Lots of action. Great fighting scenes. Good all around movie.